Hiding facts of chemical leak 'terrible'

Workers told to falsify amount of toxic substances involved

A company responsible for a chemical leak in Quanzhou, Fujian province, was accused of covering up facts to escape punishment after the incident early this month, and seven people have been detained, the local government said on Sunday.

The incident actually involved a leak of 69.1 metric tons of petrochemicals, not the 6.97 tons reported earlier by Fujian Donggang Petrochemical Industry, Wang Yongli, mayor of Quanzhou, said at a news conference on Sunday.

He added that the company's attempt to hide the actual volume of the leak and falsify evidence was "terrible".

At 1:13 am on Nov 4, a hose from an oil tanker owned by the company ruptured while offloading toxic petrochemicals at a wharf in Quanzhou's Quangang district.

Aliphatic hydrocarbons are oily, pungent chemical compounds typically derived from the oil refining process. The toxicity is similar to gasoline and can cause irritation if exposed to human skin, eyes or respiratory tracts.

"After the incident, midlevel and higher employees of the company were told during a meeting to keep the real amount of the leak secret to escape criminal punishment," Wang said.